The Young Familiar
by SamwiseKehoe
Summary: Naruto escapes Mizukis grasp by chance when a unknown force tears him from his own world and brings him to another. From here Naruto must come to terms with who and what he is if he ever wants to return to Konoha.
1. Out of the Frying Pan

Naruto's eyes widened in horror, blood scattered around the clearing made vomit rise in his throat, he felt the warm liquid roll down his face like tears- he stared forward with wide unblinking eyes as the blood rolled over his cheeks and down to his chin where it dripped into the already damp soil. His mind was suddenly blank.

There was a loud crack as Iruka beat his fist down onto the wooden desk at which Naruto sat, loud enough to startle the boy from his dreams and look around the room like a frightened animal. A moment later the blonde's face became sour and he fixed his gaze upon his teacher who was now standing with his arms folded- an expression upon his face which revealed no humour.

"What's the big deal Iruka-sensei!" His voice was loud and shrill, as everyone in the room already knew- annoying enough to force the teacher to massage one side of his head with two fingers. though he still kept his eyes firmly placed on the child before him.

"The 'big deal' Naruto, is that if you ever get out of this academy you're going to get yourself killed." Iruka's voice was- compared to the blonde's calm and under control, though any who knew the man well at all could very easily hear the stress behind his words. Eyes of other students moved from face to face as the pair bickered back and forth.

"Like history is going to save me in a fight." The boy was dismissive of the subject and indicated this clearly in his tone of voice- Iruka however was not done and immediately repeated his action of beating his fist onto the table. This caught the boys attention who looked from the very slightly splintered wood to the now obviously angry face of his teacher.

"Anything can save your life." As the man spoke he ran a tender finger over the scar that ran across the bridge of his nose- his meaning was obvious even though the blonde seemed to miss it entirely and instead grumbled to himself and leaned back down onto his desk.

As the lecture continued the blonde took note of how Iruka taught his lessons rather than paying attention to the lesson itself. He was enthusiastic about everything he said, he praised anyone who attempted to answer a question even if they got the answer wrong. He seemed to reward people trying more than he rewarded those who succeeded, it was a strange technique but he couldn't deny that after listening to the lecture for more than a few minutes he found himself being drawn in by the mans enthusiasm for the subject- even though it interested him little, if at all.

In that hour or so he discovered that he'd accidentally learned about the relationship between the Hidden Village and the Fire Country as the Third Hokage was brought back into power after the Kyuubi incident. He could even recite that information in a useful way- maybe even use it to one day save his life, as Iruka seemed to think it would. Very suddenly he found himself growing fond of the teacher and was surprised to find that very man standing in front of his desk once the lecture had ended.

Maybe it was the way the man held himself, not with his arms folded or a stern expression- but with one hand on his hip and the other hanging by his side, but Naruto thought that the man was nervous. After a moment the man spoke,

"You didn't eat lunch today." The man's voice was, for lack of a better word, uncomfortable. Something about it made the boy both confused but also nervous and uncomfortable himself. Then again the question posed did exactly the same as well.

"Not today-" The boy was about to play off his poverty but was cut off by the teacher.

"Not yesterday, nor the day before. Not last week, last month, I don't remember you eating at the academy last term either." Iruka sighed loudly and folded both arms over his chest, "Do you need help with food Naruto? Or maybe finance, I've looked into your situation a little." The man was aware of how proud the child was and was also aware that his involvement might not be looked upon kindly by other members of staff.

"I- I-" The child was startled by the revelation, that a teacher- or anyone for that matter was checking up on him was an entirely foreign feeling, though not entirely unpleasant. He considered his situation for perhaps the first time he could remember, he thought of the times he cried to sleep with an empty stomach, the times he stole so he could eat or clothe himself, the times he repaired his equipment for the academy or his clothes to keep the sun off his back.

He opened his mouth to respond, but he was afraid at the same time. It was the first time he'd spoken of this weakness- even to himself. He found that he trusted Iruka, the man was kind and good and he could tell! After a second or two the man spoke for him.

"How about we talk about this more over some hot food," He had said it as if it was an invitation but the boy knew secretly that he didn't have a choice. For the first time in long years he smiled, but he felt the need to hide it so he yawned suddenly and loudly.

"Fine, Iruka-sensei! But you're buying." The older man smirked at that, and so did the child.

Then Naruto remembered the blood... He wasn't at the academy anymore. He wasn't eating food with his teacher, it was a memory, but why would he remember something like that now. Something so random at a time like this. His eyes focused on the sight before him, and once again vomit rose in his throat.

"N-Naruto, you- you need to run." The voice came as a whisper, and it was obvious why. A deep cut ran down the mans chest, his lung was probably punctured or just sliced in half even, the fact that he was still conscious was horrifying enough, but talking and thinking of the blonde was even worse. Tears began to fall from his eyes but still he couldn't move from his spot.

"Iruka-sensei- I- I can't," He quivered as he spoke and he tried desperately to move forward, to apply pressure to the wound, maybe he could be saved, but he was rooted to the spot by fear and by the presence of the other man. Mizuki-sensei had meant to kill him with that giant shuriken but instead he'd been protected by Iruka, instead Iruka now lay bleeding out into the dirt where he should have been... And now Iruka was telling him to leave, to run- He couldn't!

"Protect the scroll, Naruto!" Iruka's voice was louder than before, a final shout before the blood streamed out of his mouth and down his chin like a waterfall he pushed the blonde away which seemed to free him from his paralysis. He coughed and choked on the blood but was pleased to see that the blonde had taken his order to heart. He stared forward into the forest to see the boy disappearing into the trees. His vision became cloudy, and darkness began to creep into his sight as he began to relax into his death.

"He'll never escape you know." Mizuki stood beside the dying man and watched with disinterest as the boy disappeared, but Iruka didn't acknowledge him. Instead he just stared forward until he couldn't see or hear anything anymore.

Naruto ran blindly through the tree's planning no further ahead than his next step into the dark, he dodged left and right to avoid low hanging branches and thorny bushes- but he knew that Mizuki would be after him. He considered for a second that giving Mizuki the scroll might spare him his life but thought better of it when he remembered what would be Iruka's final request. So He ran further and harder than he thought he could, but it was no good... He could feel in his instincts that no matter what direction or speed he took Mizuki was still breathing down his throat and gaining on him relentlessly.

There was no warning when it happened, other than the pain that erupted in the side of his head that is, as the boy was sent to the ground the scroll was his back was sent reeling into the trees. As Naruto climbed to his feet though he heard something unusual... A voice that was clearly female in origin echoing around the area in a tongue he couldn't understand. He looked around hopefully- maybe someone was here to save him, to defeat Mizuki and even save Iruka! His heart dipped though when he saw nothing but the trees, he then saw Mizuki once again poised and ready to strike with the shuriken that had taken Iruka's life. The boy swallowed and closed his eyes in fear, he couldn't run, dodge or escape from this fate it seemed.

"What -" The blonde opened his eyes and saw Mizuki staring with wide scared eyes at a small green orb that had appeared between them. The mans pose seemed to indicate that he'd already thrown the shuriken but it was nowhere in sight. "What kind of technique is that- some kind of teleportation jutsu?" Naruto furrowed his brow at the silver haired mans words- Teleportation?

Then the boy thought... Mizuki looked like he'd thrown the shuriken because he HAD just thrown it, it must have hit the orb which must have transported it away. With slight fear, apprehension and no other visible choice- Naruto stretched out an arm and grabbed a hold of the orb.

And then there was an explosion.

The proximity of the explosion was dangerously close the boy realised, the volume of it had disorientated him immensely and at the present he found himself lying on his back holding his head and applying gentle pressure to the wound that Mizuki had given to him on it. He attempted to climb to his feet after a moment but his balance was far too shaken by the explosion- or maybe it was blood loss? There was an awful lot of blood covering the grass now. He narrowed his eyes and tried to look about him. Smoke was the most obvious thing he could see- that explosion must've been a lot closer than he'd thought- almost as if he were inside it, but it quickly began to clear and the boy was confused by what he saw.

There was a girl, where before there had stood Mizuki there now stood a girl a few years older than himself, who looked similar in appearance to his classmate (and crush) Haruno Sakura- her hair was curlier but had a very similar shade of pink. The main difference was their age, whilst Sakura was the same age as Naruto- 12, this girl seemed to be at least two or three years older. The area was nothing like where he had been a moment before- the forest was gone and instead there was a large field of grass surrounded by a large stone wall. Not like the one that surrounded the Village but more like a castle wall of grey stone. He recalled then the green orb that must have been responsible, after grabbing it- it must have transported him away. He sighed in relief and rolled onto his back, taking deep lung fulls of air as he calmed down. Then the screaming started.

At first it was one surprised squeal and then as the smoke cleared more people seemed to join in. He glanced around to find the source of the commotion- only to find the giant Shuriken that Mizuki had thrown planted- almost ring deep- firmly into the stone of the large tower behind him, on the floor underneath it was a male student quivering like a leaf trapped in a storm. Maybe he'd come as close to death at the hands of Mizuki as he had- somehow the boy found humour in the thought and began to laugh, nausea quickly caught up to him though as he remembered his wounds and possible blood loss. His hands crept up onto the back of his head- it stung mercilessly and was wet to touch... Blood no doubt. What ever Mizuki had thrown at him in that forest had done damage enough to disorientate him, maybe even a concussion, that would explain the nausea wouldn't it? Then again that could have been the teleporting- he was at a loss.

A second passed and the boy growled under his breath and lumbered up to his feet- he stood shorter than all others present, though his appearance was more than enough to intimidate anyone from approaching. He twisted around and attempted to take in as much information as he could- his thoughts were cloudy though and his balance was off, he thought for a second that he must've looked like a drunk- if not for the blood decorating his jacket and neck. A few of the people around him seemed to catch onto his situation and slowly approached, one was the pink haired girl, another was a much taller balding man. They spoke as they moved toward him but he couldn't understand their words, was that because of the head wound or were they talking another language?

The sounds came as if he were underwater, his head began to swim as he attempted to focus on their words- still not able to grasp what it was that they were trying to say. He felt fear rise in his gut as they got closer- he stumbled backward a few paces and felt his balance shift.

"Stay away!" He hardly even recognised his own voice, it sounded so foreign and far away, so quiet as if he were listening to someone speaking in another room. The two briefly stopped their approach as he shouted, but as quickly as they'd stopped they began again, until they were looming over him. For a second he wandered when he'd fallen onto his back, but found it difficult to maintain his focus on even that thought before it swam away in his haze.

Then it was dark, the sounds around him faded away and he lay on the grass feeling a cool sensation wash over his body, briefly he wandered if he was dying. But he cast the idea aside even if he were this wouldn't be a bad way to go... the cold was oddly welcoming, and familiar- as if he were returning home.


	2. Into the Fire

The darkness receded slowly at first and then uncomfortably quickly. Naruto made a short groan of discomfort and closed his eyes once again to shield his apparently tender cornea from the blinding natural light that filled the room. Too bright, too white. Not a moment passed before the boy heard a similar groan come from beside him- then the shuffling of chair legs on ceramic floor. Curious- the boy once again opened his eyes to see who was in the room with him.

"Naruto?" Apparently the other person had been swifter to recover from their own sensitive vision- but he immediately recognised the voice.

"Iruka-sensei- is that you?" There was a humm of agreement and a soft hand landed on top of the boys head.

"How are you feeling, Naruto?" The voice was- naturally, full of concern and the boy felt his stomach swell with a foreign but not unpleasant feeling. Just as naturally- he hid it, and stretched from his lying position, and yawned to hide the smile he couldn't bite back. Odd- he thought, considering his current position in the Konoha hospital.

"I'm tired more than anything." The boy downplayed his injuries and threw back the covers that concealed his body, with obvious intent to climb from the bed. As he did the hand on his head became more firm-

"Not so fast, if you're so tired you should stay in bed. I'll get a nurse- You had better be here when I get back, Naruto." As he spoke the man pushed Naruto back onto his back and pulled the covers over his body once again. "I'll be right back, don't worry." And with that the man pulled the door open and stepped out into the hall.

It left the boy with a few moments to consider his situation. He was in hospital a lot, he knew he was there a lot more than other kids- but then other kids had parents to teach them not to climb trees too high, or not to walk in front of the swings. It was mostly down to his own silly mistakes- this time had been different though. That damn Sasuke.

The boy scowled at the thought of his classmate and rubbed harshly at the bruise on his cheek where one of the other boys superior punches had landed, was it really possible that the gap between them was that large? Sasuke was only a little older than Naruto too- how had he gotten so far ahead. The boy puzzled for a few minutes then gave up and stared out the window- he probably should have given up when he'd seen how outmatched he was, Sasuke would have probably let him walk away with a derogatory comment- at least he wouldn't be in hospital though!

He growled to himself and grabbed at his hair. That wasn't it at all, he couldn't have just walked away- damn smug Sasuke- with his superior techniques and fancy fighting style. He'd wanted to prove himself, so he kept getting up even when he knew he shouldn't. The boy frowned at his memory, then a short lived smile fell upon his face- his grip on his hair slackened and his arms fell beside his head onto the soft pillow.

Sasuke hadn't held back- not for a second. Even when he'd been barely standing the boy had come at him with everything, no less than 100%. He remembered the last time he stood up to Sasuke they made eye contact for a moment- the boy had that same smirk as always... But it was also different, but Naruto was smirking too.

"Is that all you got, Teme?" They were the same- Sasuke refused to hold back, and Naruto refused to back down. The Human equivalent of the immovable object vs the unstoppable force. He wasn't going to insult Sasuke by giving any less than 100%, and the other boy knew it. In that second they both knew it as well.

Then the door reopened-

"I already told you- he can't be awake alread-" The female voice was not one that the boy recognised, but her tone was one that he heard a lot in hospitals. The staff were always using that tone. It's as if worried families bothered them more than anything.

"Just- look will you, I just spoke to him." Iruka's voice was somewhat on edge, as if he was worried that the woman would just walk right past the room without a passing glance. There was a feminine sigh that followed, "Thank you, he's just here." The man sounded relieved and opened the door fully to reveal the blonde now sitting up in the bed.

Naruto observed the woman who swiftly walked into the middle of the room and grabbed the chart from the foot of his bed, her eyes ran across the page and then glanced at the boy- something similar to concern flashed across her expression. Then she walked around Naruto's bed until she came to the IV bag that hung from the wall behind the bed, she examined it- and then flashed another look at the blonde, though this was more of confusion than concern.

"I'll have to fetch a doctor, please wait here." The confusion on her face was reflected in her tone, and with concern Iruka allowed her to pass him out of the door easily. He then picked up the chart and examined it.

"What is it, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto was starting to feel a little worried as he stared at the serious expression his teacher was wearing. But the man just held up a hand as if to silence the boy, a few more seconds passed and then he too examined the bag hanging above the boys bed.

"You shouldn't be awake." His voice was quiet, and the confusion in it caused the boy to feel even more scared than before.

"What do you mean?" The man glanced at Naruto's face for the first time in a few minutes and saw the fear on it- he immediately relaxed and smiled disarmingly. Then gestured to the bag hanging above him.

"That's a sedative, Naruto- do you know what they're for?" The boy shook his head, feeling slightly better now that his situation was being explained. "They're made to help people sleep, usually they're used to treat exhaustion- like the kind you faced after fighting Sasuke." The boy nodded slowly and glanced up at the bag.

"Why is that so bad then?" The fear had disappeared from the boys voice, which made Iruka smile further.

"It's not bad at all Naruto- what's interesting is that you're not asleep." The man ended with an odd smile, and gestured at Naruto as he spoke again. "Something inside you is making you immune to it's affects... That's pretty useful for a ninja- doncha think?"

The affect was immediate- the blonde felt that same foreign swell in his stomach as before. He smiled broadly at the praise he received, "Well what do you expect Sensei- you're looking at the number one ninja!"

But then Naruto opened his eyes.

"you're not asleep." Iruka's voice echoed in the back of his mind as he shook himself awake-

His mind raced as he remembered the day before-The pink haired girl, the explosion, Mizuki had been chasing him, something about a scroll, and... Iruka-sensei? Had something happened to him? He couldn't remember, he shook his head again but couldn't reach the memory.

Then the room around him caught his attention, and he stifled a confused cry- He was sitting on top of a four posted bed with very thick luxurious covers. There was a candle sitting on top of a low table in the middle of the room to his left and a door on the wall opposite that. Where was he? He didn't know- he searched his memory for a few moments and found that he remembered a tower surrounded by a stone wall- maybe he was inside? He glanced out of the window to his right and felt his luck change- he could see the tower which meant he was inside of the wall... right? He didn't know but swiftly climbed to his feet and pressed his face against the glass in an attempt to find out.

Rewarding his efforts he saw the familiar grey stone wall stretch in both directions away from his current position- he must be at a corner tower or something. A floor board creaked behind him, and on instinct he span around-too quickly. After a second he climbed to his feet and glanced around the room before him to find the source of the creak- he looked no further than a few feet as the girl stood beside the low table he'd seen before with a shocked expression on her face.

A few awkward seconds passed in silence whilst the two observed one another- It seemed to be the same girl from the day before. Her pink hair was quite distinctive after all, the boy felt relaxed though, if she had meant to hurt him then wouldn't he already be hurt? He felt his head throb. Wouldn't he be hurt _more- _he corrected.

"Era ouy yako?" Her voice was laced with concern- but it was veiled in a tone that reminded the boy of Sasuke. The only problem was that he couldn't understand a word.


End file.
